Vis remains popular but virus cases rise in Croatia

The remoteness of the Croatian island of Vis proved to be a boon for the island's economy this year, as large numbers of foreign visitors sought escape from lockdowns by flocking to this pristine place in the Adriatic, undeterred by the country's fresh surge in confirmed cases.

Croatia was originally not affected by the pandemic as severely as some other western European nations. However, strict lockdowns imposed throughout the continent and in Croatia itself from March to May gave rise to fears that this year's summer tourism season would collapse. The industry employs about a quarter of the 1.5 million-strong workforce and accounts for around 20 percent of total GDP.

Last month, the state statistics bureau reported that Croatia's GDP shrunk in the second quarter of the year by 15.1% compared to twelve months ago - the sharpest drop on record since 1995 when statistics began, and nearly double the 8.8% drop in early 2009 during the global financial crisis. But as lockdowns throughout Europe were eased in June, tourists mainly from Central European German-speaking countries - who accounted for 60 percent of the country's 21 million visitors in 2019 - flocked to its shores in unexpectedly high numbers.

For Vis, the island located farthest from the mainland, reachable via a two-and-a-half hour ferry ride, the relative isolation proved to be a boon, with not a single coronavirus case and visitor numbers reportedly at almost 90 percent of last year's capacity.

"When I look back a few months, I can understand why people wanted to visit the island of Vis and see Komiza. It's the most remote island (of Croatia) after all, it has a sense of isolation. So amid the coronavirus pandemic, this may have had a psychological effect motivating them to come to the island," Komiza Mayor, Tonka Ivcevic, told the Associated Press.

July and August saw a resurgence in virus cases across the country, with Croatia posting record high daily numbers several times over the past week, with more than 300 cases detected over the last three days. This forced some EU countries including Slovenia, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to impose mandatory 14-day isolation or tests for people returning from Croatia, forcing many visitors from these countries to cut short their vacations.  As of Friday, Croatia had recorded around 11,000 coronavirus cases and 195 deaths. But both locals and foreign visitors in and around the island's two main towns - Vis and Komiza - seemed unconcerned by the new rise in cases and pandemic-related restrictions.

"Am i afraid? Well, coronavirus doesn't walk around, it doesn't swim in water, it doesn't fly through the air, does it. One has to go looking for it,", Tanja, a Slovenian tourist, told the Associated Press.